To assess the incidence of children with various types of migraine, an investigation wаs carried out from 1988 to 2008, on 30636 children (50.38% male, 49.62% female), in nine towns of the north province of Serbia. Migraine was reported in 8.63% children aged 3 to 17 (8.0% male, 9.6% female) as well as in 3.87% children aged 3-7 (4.2% boys, 3.57% girls). The proportion of children with either migraine or non-migraine headaches increased with their age, from 2.65% to 11.72% in boys, and from 2.71% to 15.86% in girls. Such increasing trend was also found for migraine with aura (from 1.8% to 32.7%). Children with migraine with aura showed their pick at the age of 9, while other migraine syndromes had the most frequent appearance at the age of 5 years. Migraine with aura accounted for 25.55%, migraine without aura for 67.21% and other migraine syndromes for 7.23% of investigated subjects with migraine. The average age of the migraine diagnosis was 5 years 1.8 months, while it was 4 years 11.4 months for migraine with aura, 5 years 7.2 months for migraine without aura and 3 years 7.2 months for other migraine syndromes. Migraine is much more frequent in second born children and in these from incomplete families. Migraine with aura appeared mostly in children coming from family with median socioeconomic welfare, while poor family welfare was predominant in children with migraine without aura. The length of breast-feeding influenced the appearance of the migraine in general, showing reciprocal influence of the length of breast-feeding on the appearance of migraine. Migraine was more often found (39.4%) among children who earlier joined nursery schools on a whole-day stay basis. Children with migraine have been diagnosed and treated by neuropaediatricians or neurologists in 55.4% cases (70.0% migraine with aura, 42.7% migraine without aura and 92.4% children with other migraine syndromes). [Med Arch 2010; 64(6.000): 348-353]

children, migraine, epidemiology, health care